Mexica
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The Mexica (Nahuatl: Mēxihcah, pronounced [meːˈʃiʔkaʔ]) or Mexicans (Spanish: Mexicanos) were an indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico, known today as the rulers of the Aztec empire.
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[edit] Name
There is much disagreement over the etymology and meaning of the name Mexica (Nahuatl Mēxihcah, which is plural; the singular is Mēxihcatl), and the related place name Mexico (Mēxihco) where they lived.[1]
The name of the modern nation of Mexico and its capital Mexico City are derived from the Nahuatl name Mēxihco.
[edit] History
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[edit] Culture
[edit] Language
Like many of the peoples around them, the Mexica spoke Nahuatl. The form of Nahuatl used in the 16th century, when it began to be written in the alphabet brought by the Spanish, is known as Classical Nahuatl. Nahuatl is still spoken today by over 1.5 million people.
[edit] Religion
The Mexica religion had multiple gods, including a sun god, a rain god and many others. The Mexica believed that the gods needed to be nourished with human blood, in order to keep the world in balance. It has become a common belief that the sacrifices had their hearts cut out, but in truth, only human sacrifices to the sun god, Huitzilopotchtli were killed this way. Each god had a different method of sacrifice (for example, sacrifices to the rain god were tied to a post and shot with arrows, the dripping blood represented rain)
[edit] History
The center of the Aztec civilization was the Valley of Mexico, a huge, oval basin about 7,500 feet above sea level. The Aztec empire included many cities and towns, especially in the Valley of Mexico. The largest city in the empire was the capital, Tenochtitlan.
The story of the Aztecs' rise to power is quite impressive, although their early history is somewhat unclear because it was passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next.
In about the 13th century the Aztecs, led by their chieftain Tenoch, straggled into the Valley of Mexico, most likely from an Island called Aztlan, meaning White Place, or Place of Herons. They were a poor, ragged people who survived on vermin, snakes, and stolen food. They were hated and rejected by all of the surrounding inhabitants for their barbarous and uncultured habits, and were driven from one location to another.
Legend says that early in the 14th century, the sun god Huitzilopochtli told Tenoch to lead his people to a place of refuge on a swampy island on Lake Texcoco, and there look for an eagle perched on a cactus, growing from a rock or cave surrounded by water. There they would build the city of Tenochtitlán and honor Huitzilopochtli with rituals, including human sacrifice.
This was a very difficult location to build a city, on a marshy island with limited resources. The Aztecs would have to work constantly to maintain a city on swampy land, and there was also continuing tensions between the Aztecs and the neighboring peoples on the mainland. Despite these obstacles, they worked hard to improve the quality of their lives. They adopted a system of farming called the Chinampas, which is a system of reclaiming land by piling dirt on floating log rafts or filling in shallow water with dirt, mud, and vegetation. They also left spaces, which formed a system of canals so that people could travel throughout the city by canoe. In a short period of time, the land was transformed into a fertile and highly productive island. Since it was built on swamp land, large wooden stakes were driven into the soft ground to provide secure foundations for buildings, which were often built of Tezontli. However, many of the buildings still sank, and newer structures were built on top of them.
During the 15th century the Aztecs grew into a powerful and highly disciplined military force. They formed alliances with their powerful neighbors Texcoco and Tlacopan, known as the Triple Alliance. During this century, the Aztecs became very powerful.
By the time the Spaniards arrived in 1520, the Aztecs had conquered 38 provinces. However, their empire was not tightly consolidated, and Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, thought Cortez was a returning god. Cortez exploited these ideas, and divided and defeated the Aztecs. Afterward, the catholic Spaniards felt that it was their duty to destroy every trace of Aztec culture. Only a few Aztecs remain today who have carried on their culture.
[edit] Literature
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[edit] Art
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Andrews (2003): p. 500.
[edit] References
- Andrews, J. Richard (2003). Introduction to Classical Nahuatl (rev. ed. ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3452-6.en:Aztec
